Woman charged as church defaced, police car vandalized

Monday

Jun 19, 2017 at 7:24 PMJun 19, 2017 at 7:24 PM

Mickie Anderson @MickieAnderson

GAINESVILLE — A church was defaced and a Gainesville police officer's patrol car and home vandalized June 13 by a woman who believes the church's leader was attacking her mind "via the spirit realm," an arrest report said.

Barbara J. Phillips, 40, was charged with stalking, criminal mischief and damaging church property, records show. She was held in the Alachua County Jail on $27,000 bond.

On June 13, a Gainesville Police Department officer reported his patrol car had a broken passenger mirror and a flat tire, after nails had been placed around the car overnight. His air-conditioning unit was broken and a welcome post from his yard flung into the street, the report said.

About the same time, St. Andrews Church's leader and his wife reported two similar acts of vandalism, including their power being turned off and nails — that appeared to match the ones placed near the officer's car — being placed around one of their cars, according to the Alachua County sheriff's office.

On June 12, two people arrived at the church at 2715 NW 39th Ave., and found feces in front of its front door and smeared on door handles, what appeared to be glue dripping from keyholes, and a number of windows, all cracked in the bottom left corner. They initially saw a gray Prius, later determined to belong to Phillips, in front of the church, driven away as they arrived.

The air-conditioning unit had been tampered with, and nonsensical writings were made in permanent marker on church pillars and doors, which the report described as "rants" about "patriarchy," "misogyny and sexism" and "bad spirits toward me."

Phillips, who was listed as homeless, had attended some church gatherings at the home of Rev. Ronald Kuykendall, who leads St. Andrew's Church, he told police.

Phillips told police she believes the reverend had been "attacking her mind" via "the spirit realm," the report said.

In the police report, the officer noted that Phillips is "fully aware of what right and wrong is, but she also appears to be suffering from some mental health problems."